(Call scouts forward with parents to line up behind ceremony table facing troop)

Leader: In reaching First Class, you have demonstrated your knowledge of the outdoor skills of scouting. I challenge you to continue practicing those skills so they stay strong, and not forget them now that you have a checkmark in a box in your handbook. You are now entering the most rewarding part of your scouting experience. You will have many opportunities to build your leadership skills and demonstrate your scout spirit through service to others. You will change from being a scout learner to being a scout leader as you continue your trail to Eagle Scout.

In earning the First Class rank, you learned how to find Polaris, the North Star, because we know it will help us find our way in the wilderness. For centuries people have known that the North Star is fixed in the heavens, and it has been used as a navigational aid by sailors ever since the first adventurers sailed away from the sight of land.

The North Star is still used that way. So in learning how to find it, you are joining a very long line of adventurers. There are some "North Stars" in our everyday lives, too. One of them is your conscience. Listen to your conscience and you can be sure to steer your life in the right direction. The other North Stars are the Scout Oath and Law. They are North Stars because they give us excellent guidance in how to behave and what we owe to God, country, our fellow human beings, and ourselves.

When you're lost at night, look for the North Star. The rest of the time, steer your life with those other North Stars - your conscience and the Scout Oath and Law - so you can reach your full potential.

As Second Class, you were a 'hiker' scout but are now a 'camper' scout. Are you prepared to wear the First Class badge of rank to symbolize your achievements and commit to doing your part to lead the troop?

To show that you are willing to lead scouts coming up the trail, everyone hold the First Class candle and light it from the Second Class candle.

(hand out badges and parent pins)

Parents, please pin the First Class badge on your scout.Scouts, pin the First Class parent pin on your parent.